This invention relates generally to hinge preparation assemblies, and particularly to a hinge preparation assembly that can be converted to receive regular or heavy weight hinges.
Hinge cutouts are usually made during the formation of the hinge jamb members of a steel door or steel door frame. A hinge reinforcement member, in the form of a plate or channel, is generally welded across the hinge cutouts and serves to support a hinge leaf. The hinge reinforcement member has threaded holes corresponding to the holes in the hinge leaf.
To avoid the necessity of separately manufacturing and stocking door frames and doors that will accommodate either regular weight or heavy weight hinges, efforts have been made to provide hinge preparation assemblies that permit converting from a regular weight to a heavy weight hinge without changing the depth of the cutouts.
In one such effort, set screws are positioned between a regular weight hinge and the hinge reinforcement member. When it is desired to convert to a heavy weight hinge, the set screws are either removed or screwed into the hinge reinforcement member. U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,488 to Winyard shows such a set screw arrangement.
The problem with the set screw arrangement is that it is expensive and time-consuming to manufacture. Holes for the set screws must be formed in the hinge reinforcement member and threaded. Additionally, blanks for the set screws must be manufactured and threaded.